Graduate students discuss rights, unionizing

COLUMBIA (AP) — Graduate workers at the University of Missouri are holding town hall meetings as they pursue unionizing.

The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that the Coalition of Graduate Workers have been demanding better pay, a long-term insurance solution and full tuition waivers for all graduate assistants.

The group gained support this past week from the Graduate Professional Council on campus. Union backers also organized a town hall Thursday for international students.

Unionizing efforts began after MU gave graduate assistants 24-hour notice that they would no longer receive health insurance subsidies because of an IRS interpretation of the Affordable Care Act. The university later rescinded that decision, but the process sparked a campus-wide discussion about graduate student employee benefits.

Graduate students with assistantships conduct research for the university and teach undergraduate classes.